CONGRATULATIONS BEAST MODE!!

Congratulations to Beast Mode for defeating Sic-Bo in an intense, although anti-climatic, final game of the season.

After going back and forth throughout the entire match, Beast Mode ended a 16-16 tie on a 5-0 run to win 21-16.

Beast Mode ended the season undefeated, a perfect champion.

Player of the Game: Wilson Pak

Just like he did the whole season, he put his team on his back and carried them to a victory.

X-Factor: Gary Ng (Sic-Bo)

Although he wasn’t able to score any points, he kept Wilson to a very low percentage from 2-point range and hounded him all game. If it wasn’t for his defense, this game may have ended a lot earlier than Sic-Bo would have liked.

Here are some photos of the champions (courtesy of Rebekah Lee):

Recap of the Year:

Thoughts on First Day of Games:

I couldn’t believe how many people showed up to the games; both the players and the fans. I thought it was going to be pick-up basketball with a few rules in place, but it ended up bringing the competitive juices out of everybody. We got people who usually don’t play basketball (like Wayne, Stanley, Min and Capo) and got them to come out and play. The “yuj-factor”* was in full effect thanks to the number of lovely, young women rooting for the teams. Overall, I was really impressed with everybody’s participation.

*yuj-factor – When guys play harder because of the presence of girls. This is a scientifically documented phenomenon that happens at any sporting event.

Best Game: Team Awesome vs. John’s Team

The battle of the 2 un-victorious teams up to this point was a nail-biter that ended in a 1 point victory for Team Awesome. Although they didn’t play in the playoffs, Team Awesome did prevent being the worst team in the league with this hard fought win.

Worst Moment: Zion’s sprained ankle

Seeing an injury happen while the game is being played is never a pretty thing to see. This injury may have altered the entire landscape of the league.

Most Controversial Moment: Simon’s game-winning travel

Did he? Or didn’t he? I would show you a video and tell you guys to vote on it, but ESPN decided not to cover us that day…

Best Fan: Esther Bongga Lee

Attended every game to support the champions of the league. I would consider her the TRUE X-factor of the league.

Worst(-est) Moment: Cancellation of games due to absences

That’s just me griping. I don’t like when people don’t show up… But I digress…

Let’s dive into what we’ve all been waiting for!

League Awards:

MVP (Most Valuable Player): Wilson Pak (Beast Mode)

A unanimous choice for the All-First TGBL Team, Wilson Pak was an obvious choice for the MVP. Each game, he took the brunt of the defense to get his teammates involved. He carried the scoring load in every game except one and was a defensive stalwart.

2nd: Gary Ng (Sic-Bo) – Headed the offense and was the best defender for the runner-up team in the league.

3rd: Simon Kim (Sic-Bo) – Captain/GM of the runner-up team in the league.

MIP (Most Improved Player): James Lee (Beast Mode)

Under the tutelage of the league’s MVP, James Lee became a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the court. Hitting the shots that Wilson sets up for him on offense and boxing out his man on defense, James Lee has really shown the progress he has made since beginning training last semester.

2nd: Josh Lee/Cliff Kim (Sic-Bo) – Josh Lee became a great force on the offensive glass while Cliff developed into a reliable scorer.

3rd: Jacob Kim/Jon Lee (Kildong’s Team) – Jacob showed his hustle and prowess for grabbing boards while Jon, who was already a great player, developed a three point shot and a nice floater inside to go with his solid defense.

X-Factor: Thomas Kim (Beast Mode)

As the third award in a row goes to Beast Mode, you can see why they won the championship. However, just like the other two players, Thomas fully deserved this award. Creating the only shot that has a nickname (the TCT), he spread the floor for Wilson by preventing teams from fully collapsing on Wilson every time he drove.

2nd: Joy Min (Sic-Bo) – The third dice of the three-headed attack known as Sic-Bo.

3rd: Jacob Kim (Kildong’s Team) – Gave team second and third chance points with his O-boards.

Defensive Player of the Year: Zion Hwang (Team Awesome)

Although their season wasn’t very spectacular, Team Awesome did have a gem in Zion Hwang. Although people may know him better for his deadly midrange on offense, his defensive efforts allowed Team Awesome to compete with any team they played. Against Sic-Bo he guarded Simon Kim and limited him to just 1 point. Although he was injured midway through the season, he came back against John’s Team and recorded 3+ blocks and steals.

2nd: Jon Lee (Kildong’s Team) – Great rebounder and one of the peskiest man to man defenders.

3rd: Simon Kim (Sic-Bo) – “By clogging the lanes, closing out on shooters, and altering layups with his size, deceptive quickness, and precise timing, Simon Kim changed the way every offense approached Sic-Bo.” – John Kim

Teammate: Kildong Kim (Kildong’s Team)

Other than carrying a team that had 3 freshmen and Howard Rim, an athlete who doesn’t really play much basketball, Kildong did everything he could in order to push his team to the championship. He never lost his temper, even in the most intense matches, and kept his team morale up in every single game.

2nd: Gary (Sic-Bo) – A great vocal leader who makes everyone play better.

3rd: Jon Lee (Kildong’s Team) – Although his demeanor on the court may be intimidating to other teams, his teammates love his hustle and heart.

Captain (GM) of the Year: Simon Kim (Sic-Bo)

“Serving the role of both commissioner of the TGBL and the captain of Sic-Bo, Simon Kim has without a doubt shown his dependability and leadership. Simon led his team as every captain should – on and off the court. On the court, he got everyone involved and made sure that everybody was having fun; furthermore, he did everything his team needed: big rebounds, big blocks, big threes. Off the court, he organized practices and held teammates accountable for meeting the attendance requirements. His commitment to Sic-Bo and TGBL were not in vain as his efforts crystallized in the form of a silver in the TGBL.” – John Kim

2nd: Wilson Pak (Beast Mode) – Led team to championship.

3rd: Kildong Kim (Kildong’s Team) – Took a team with a lot of raw talent and molded them together to end up finishing 3rd in the league.

I would like to specially thank all the fans who came out to watch us play. I would try to name every person that came out to each game but I know I’ll forget somebody.

Thank you to all the players who played in TGBL’s monumental first season.

Finally, I would like to thank God for giving us a new medium for us to get to know our brothers in Christ. I really believe that we can make TGBL into a great tool for both fellowship and evangelizing in the future.